Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Do you want to learn more about what it takes to have a successful reef aquarium?

When I meet newcomers to the hobby, I’m always interested to hear the story of how or why they got into the hobby. I’ve heard stories of a fascination that started during a childhood trip to the zoo or public aquarium and fond memories of an aquarium their father or mother used to care for.

Many people have had an aquarium for years and just want to jump into the saltwater end of the pool. What’s your story?

A quick story

As far as my story—well, I’ve been an “aquarium-nerd” for a long time. I hope you’re not offended by the term. I wear that badge with honor. I started my first aquarium when I was 6, but it wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties, however, that I became all salty…pun intended. Of course I was fascinated by saltwater reef fish and invertebrates—but I had no previous experience keeping saltwater fish at that time.

When I transitioned from freshwater to saltwater, I struggled a bit, with my research, trying to determine what to do. So much of the information online seemed either speculative or contradictory, and many of the books on the hobby read like textbooks from my Invertebrates 201 class, rather than something that would teach me how to be successful with a reef tank.

So that’s why I set up this website and wrote these books.

The Reef Aquarium Book Series

There are 4 books in this series:

The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide

How to Frag Corals

Reef Journal

107 Tips for the Marine Reef Aquarium

The Reef Aquarium Book Series

I love this hobby, and I want you to love it too. The quest for knowledge never ends, but this is hopefully a collection of some useful tidbits to get your hands wet (pun intended again).

If you want to take your research to the next level, The Reef Aquarium Book Series are authoritative guides filled with my worldly wisdom, bad jokes and the secrets to my successes and failures.

Book 1: The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide: How to Care for and Keep Marine Fish and Corals

This is the first book in the Reef Aquarium Book Series and is still the most successful. It has been a #1 Bestseller many times over, in the Fish & Aquariums and Fish & Sharks categories on Amazon.com in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

At the time I’m writing this, there are over 30 x 5 star reviews. I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging, I’m just trying to give you a sense that it probably doesn’t stink.

If you are looking for a book to learn the secrets to setting up and enjoying a successful saltwater aquarium, this is a great place to start and is actually THE PLACE I recommend you start.

The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide: How to Care for and Keep Marine Fish and Corals will help you build the saltwater reef aquarium you have been daydreaming about.I wrote it in the corner of my dining room, on a desktop PC. This is what it looked like when things were going well:

note that I’m wearing my very best Captain America shirt…what a nerd.

Voice of experience

Over 30 years in aquarium keeping, Albert has learned what it takes to have a successful, thriving saltwater aquarium and passes that wisdom on to you. Some of the lessons in the book he learned the hard way, but now you don’t have to. With a good plan, the right equipment, and the right knowledge, you can build a successful, thriving new marine fish tank or saltwater aquarium.

This easy to read saltwater aquarium book will help you get your saltwater aquarium up and running in no time. Oh yeah, in addition to reading some interesting and helpful content, you’ll also meet these guys–Will and Gill. They help break up the chapters and give you a little more of a view inside my crazy head.

Reef Aquarium Book Series Trivia: Will and Gill only appear in this book in the Kindle version

As you can tell, I am a terrible artist. But I do like to have fun and make things enjoyable. Do they still have water coolers where you work? They got rid of ours. Ahhh….timeless humor

In addition to the bad jokes, there is also a lot of awesome content.

You can see the Amazon Best Seller Category on the left (Fish & Aquariums) and the #1 Rank.

Here is a sneak peek at The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: What Aquarium is Right for You?

Chapter 2: What Do You Want to Keep?

Chapter 3: Filtration: The Heart…No…Kidneys of Your Aquarium

Chapter 4: Aquarium Lighting

Chapter 5: Other Equipment

Check out the #1 Best Seller label–I love this thing

Chapter 6: Water Parameters

Chapter 7: Testing

Chapter 8: Fish

Chapter 9: Coral

Chapter 10: Coral Propagation (Fragging)

Chapter 11: Health and Disease

Chapter 12: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Fish-Only Tank and Adding your First Fish

Chapter 13: Cyanobacteria, Dinoflagellates, and New Tank Problems

Chapter 14: Continuing Your Journey—Research Online

Appendix I: Guide to Online Discussion Forum Abbreviations

Book Reviews

Don’t just take my word for it, take a look at what others are saying about this book on Amazon:

Reef Journal

Reef Journal is the most recent addition to the Reef Aquarium book series. Even though it is the 4th book in the series, I wrote it as a compliment (you’re an intelligent person…no…sorry…I meant complement) to The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide.

I love The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide. It’s the best book I’ve written, but even though I set out to demystify the hobby and to help make it practical for anybody to get into the hobby and have success. I realized that there was, even more, I could do in order to help make the lessons actionable and take the learning to the next step.

Reef Journal is your guide to put your knowledge into action. Put it to work and start having success. Start tracking your progress and create a lasting resource that you’ll appreciate for years to come.

Reef Journal is also a real book. Ok, all my books are real books, but this is a dead tree version of a book that you are supposed to mark up, write in and put pictures in. It’s like what apps used to be like, before smartphones.

I wrote Reef Journal to help you apply what you learned in The Saltwater Aquarium Guide and take your success to the next level. It truly is THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO PLAN, MONITOR AND TRACK THE PROGRESS OF YOUR REEF TANK

107 Tips for the Marine Reef Aquarium

The third book in the Reef Aquarium Book Series is 107 Tips for the Marine Reef Aquarium. One of the most common questions I get is…why 107?

The most common response I give is…beats me. I was shooting for 100, I wrote about 120 and after editing was left with 107.

Some people are impressed by the number, others think…psh…is that it? Where are you on that scale?

I wrote this book to a fast-reading page turner. In my other books, I try to lay out a deliberate, logical flow and deliver the information like a lesson. I teach you everything I think you want to know.

In 107 Tips, I cut out all the lessons and set up and I just give you the tips. All the advice, without the lesson.

Whether you already have a reef aquarium or still daydream about starting one, the 107 tips in this book will save you time and money and give you the confidence to achieve the aquarium success you desire.

Years of experience and advice have been distilled down into this quick-reading guide that will give you helpful tips you can use right away, one tip at a time.

Read it when you have to go, or are on the go.

True story: When I first published it, I had an issue with the formatting where two tips merged together, messed up the numbering,and it didn’t actually have 107 tips. Hah, what an amateur.

How to Frag Corals

How to Frag Corals is the second book I wrote, chronologically speaking, but is really meant to be the 4th book in the Reef Aquarium Book Series. The book is written for the true reef aquarium enthusiast and is most applicable after you have had some success growing corals in your own aquarium.

I knew that writing about a topic that was a niche within the saltwater aquarium hobby would ensure that this book was never achieved the same bestselling success as The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide, but this was truly a passion project.

When I was just starting out in the hobby, I ravenously read a spiral bound book crammed with tons of information about growing and propagating corals. When I reflect back on my own journey, I have such strong and fond memories of that book.

The idea of fragging corals feels a lot like alchemy to me. You can go to the local fish store, buy a coral for $50, have an amazingly awesome hobby and then also create an never-ending supply of fragments of that same coral that could then be sold or traded to fellow hobbyists.

It’s a perpetual money and perpetual hobby machine. It’s alchemy. It’s like an empire building app on your phone, only with virtual reality glasses…or even reality glasses.

That book inspired me to quit my job (I never did) and take up aquaculture full time (I never did), but I certainly fragged a ton of corals and catapulted into the hobby as a geek. I wrote this book to try and capture some of that spark and to update the current generation of hobbyists (I’m talking about you) about the amazing world of coral fragging.

I also leverage the technology (this is an e-book) to help make reading it practical, straightforward and efficient.

The other thing I remember about starting out in this hobby is that I was deathly afraid of handling my corals–touching them in any way (especially emotionally…er..wait…what?) and I certainly didn’t want to cut them. That sounded a bit like madness.

Then, after the first time, I did it, it was all I could think about.

Book Reviews

Take a look at what some others are saying about this book on Amazon:

How to Frag Corals will help you grow your corals and your confidence. The secrets to successfully fragging the most popular stony and soft coral species are right here at your finger tips.

This authoritative guide to fragging corals will show you how, with step-by-step instructions.

If you’re still nervous about damaging the corals, this book will even show you how to make your own coral frags without making a cut.

Avoid the 5 Most Common Reef Aquarium Mistakes

All of the books above cost money. I am honored and humbled if you think they are interesting enough that you’re willing to trade some of your own hard-earned dollars for a copy.

Avoid the 5 Most Common Reef Aquarium Mistakes, by comparison, is a short book that you can get for FREE by signing up for the Saltwater Aquarium Blog Newsletter. This book is essentially a prequel to the Reef Aquarium Book Series. Friends don’t let friends make these mistakes. Get started on your own journey.